Rain lashed down in torrents on the group of men below. They were exhausted and filthy as they struggled through the mud, leading a team of horse hitched to an 18-pounder gun. Soldiers pulled at the horses' reins while other pushed the gun from behind.copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YCyDCGs5m

The gun moved forward inch-by-inch with mud clinging to its wheels and horses' legs. The horses flared their nostrils, their eyes wide in fear and ears held back, in a fit of panic they could barely move. Artillery slammed into the earth around the battery bringing fear and the possibility of death. The horses whinnied and reared in distress while the soldiers simply cursed, terror making their voices sound shrill.copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz7hHMa6N7

They had to get the gun into position; the infantry depended on it. Muscles strained under the extreme weight, lungs starved for air, and hearts beat in quickened fury until at last the gun and horses came loose and surged forward.copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHQV00RSXG

The 18-pounder was put in place and the horse quickly unhitched and taken away. Shells were brought up and the gunners nary spoke a word as the gun was loaded and fired off in rapid succession.copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0E5yiIfLO

Many kilometres in front of the guns lay the trenches where the shells from these guns screamed overhead and tore the earth apart, sending debris and bodies flying in all directions.copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEoJV5v5bj

Men huddled in the trenches, cold and terrified beyond measure, awaiting the fateful call of an officer's whistle.copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡdV14Q24IU2

A shrill whistle cut through the air. The soldiers already poised on the ladders were pushed forward as a volley of men came up behind them as a single solid wave of bodies. Those in front had no choice but to leave the trench.copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡoo23uBldQ7

And so this great wave of khaki bodies burst forth from the long line of trenches and spilled out into No Man's Land, straight into enemy fire. Enemy guns roared over the carnage and slammed the ground at their target's feet. Earth, shrapnel, and soldiers were tossed about carelessly.copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tLpdHuING

The wave of khaki soldiers drove on, half insane with terror, leaving the ground littered with the bodies of their broken kin in their wake. Voices screamed in agony, men cried out for their loved ones, many prayed to a God they thought had abandoned them in Hell, while many more simply had neither the strength or courage to utter anything above a whisper.copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20C44t69b1

The wave of soldiers, teeth bared, eyes bulging, ever moving onward, reached the end of No Man's Land. In an instant, two armies clashed in close quarters.copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAqeDVPZ8G

A/N: This is a short blurb I wrote months ago when I wanted to practise writing out descriptive scenes. copyright protection87ＰＥＮＡＮＡ699Symz35n